Iran: Timcheh-e-Aminoddowleh – Old Bazaar of Kashan – Iran

360° panorama by Sergej Esnault.Click the image to open the interactive version.
One of the most fascinating features of an Iranian bazaar is the caravansary, a spacious, domed hall often located at the back of the marketplace but sometimes at its very heart. This chamber was once a place for caravans of traveling merchants to put up for the night or set up temporary stalls for a few days before moving on to the next town. The advent of motorized vehicles has now displaced the horse-drawn carts of earlier eras and put an end to this function. Today, a caravansary is known as a sarai, or sometimes timcheh, and forms a central courtyard surrounded by shops (as opposed to the long hallways in the rest of the bazaar). The goods sold here are often the finest luxury items, carpets, and works of art.http://noveladventurers.blogspot.sk/2012/08/the-architecture-of-iranian-bazaars.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazaar_of_Kashan